The Point of the Story
by madmiko
Summary: IYYYH One-shot. Complete. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes a story can touch the most hardened of hearts. HieiKagome


DISCLAIMER: Takahashi and Togashi own the rights to the characters and worlds they created in "InuYasha" and "Yu Yu Hakusho." And Kagome and Hiei own my heart. I'm just a slave to the desire to put them together.

Written for The Deadliest Sin community.

Prompt: Tell me a story

Word count: 16,964

//Mature Content Alert: This story contains a lemon//

The Point of the Story

As his head hit the cold, hard surface of a stone wall, Hiei silently cursed Koenma, King Enma, Yusuke, and everyone else associated with the Reikai. Yusuke for that damn lucky shot that got him caught by them in the first place, King Enma for sentencing him to service on the Reikai's behalf, and Koenma for this damnable mission. He knew that the mission might have come from King Enma himself, but Koenma had to have been the one to tell his father who would be the best to send when unethical methods were called for. If the stupid ningen onna was such a powerful priestess, how did these pitiful excuses for youkai manage to capture her in the first place? Rescuing damsels in distress was not his forte and would have been better left to Yusuke and the ape, or even the fox.

He knew why he was the one Enma had sent, though. It was the _conditions_ of the rescue. There was no way Yusuke or the idiot would have agreed to it. And that damned Kurama always played the "have to keep watch over my ningen mother" card to get out of anything that would disrupt his precious routine. Sometimes, he really wanted to knock the ningen right out of that youko. But here he was. Stuck in some ridiculous little cell in some pathetic little stronghold in the Southern part of the Makai, having to pretend he had been overpowered by some C-class youkai. Oh, Koenma was going to have to pay him dearly for this.

Naturally, there was no way a C-class demon could get the best of him--there weren't even many who were stupid enough to _believe _they could, if they recognized him. And he couldn't take the chance that there was some higher-class, _intelligent_ youkai behind the kidnapping of the priestess who would realize there was no way his men could have overpowered him. So he had simply used the Jagan to control the first guard he had come across. This demon would be the only one who even knew of his presence in this little makeshift prison. Hiei made sure he placed him in the cell next to the one where the onna was being kept, and that he would bring him decent food and drink for as long as he was forced to stay here. At least it wouldn't be long. She had already been there for 48 hours before they sent him. She would break soon. He had scanned the youkai's mind thoroughly to make sure she hadn't already--after all, she was only a ningen.

Leave it to the Reikai to let someone else do their dirty work for them. According to Enma, this Higurashi Kagome knew where the legendary Shikon no tama was. He wanted it locked up in the Reikai's vaults, but she claimed to be its rightful guardian and refused to give it up. From what he had said, the Reikai was in her debt and they could not force her. But King Enma was not above letting someone _else_ force her. Koenma might not know the conditions he had been given, but he must have had some suspicions because he hadn't even been able to look him in the face when he stormed out of King Enma's office. His mission was to rescue the girl--_after_ her captors had wrung the information from her. As soon as she gave up its location, he was to kill everyone here and _save_ her, making sure to contact Koenma so he could send someone to retrieve the jewel before she was out of the Makai. Now, he didn't object to the use of force against the girl, he just didn't like the underhandedness of letting someone else do it and then the pretense of a "rescue." The Reikai was full of dirty, sneaky bastards and King Enma was probably the biggest bastard of the bunch.

Hiei stood up and looked around. There was one small window high up on the back wall, and there was an obvious barrier across it and the door. A musty-smelling blanket was lying in one corner and a chamber pot sat in another one. Koenma was going to have to pay him double for this. He stared at the wall adjacent to the girl's cell. He could tell she wasn't in there at the moment, which meant she was most likely being "questioned" somewhere else right now. That made things just a bit more difficult. Since he couldn't use the Jagan without the surge in power alerting everyone, he needed another way to keep tabs of her condition. He had certainly seen enough people tortured to know when they were likely to break, and he had to be sure he intervened in time to actually save her after she spilled the information they wanted. Enma had made it very clear that the girl had influential friends and allies who would not look kindly upon her death.

Noting several small cracks in the wall, he found one near the back of the cell and picked a spot close to the ground to enlarge into a small hole. He doubted any of the guards would notice it there. Now all he could do was wait and keep alert for any signs of spiking or waning power which could signal the impending end of this farce of a rescue mission.

It was hours later before he heard the door of the next cell open and the unmistakable thump of a body hitting the floor. His eyes widened slightly at what he felt from the two guards he heard talking to each other--or rather what he _didn't_ feel. They were ningen. Well, that explained how these low-level youkai had managed to capture a powerful priestess. She wasn't being given a chance to purify them because she was being handled by ningen. That seemed to confirm his earlier belief that there might be a higher-level, more intelligent youkai behind this. And it made things more complicated. He could already see Koenma sending him on a follow-up mission to determine how these ningen had come to be working for youkai in the Makai. He ground his teeth in irritation.

"Well, it looks like I'm not the only one here anymore."

Hiei was surprised to hear a soft voice nearby and he realized that the onna had not only noticed the small hole he had made, but she had moved over beside it. He hadn't expected her to be so observant.

"Are you all right?" she asked. When she got no reply, she chuckled. "You can't be hurt too bad to have put a hole in this wall. Obviously, you are youkai. What's your name?"

When she still received no reply, she sighed and mumbled, "Why are so many youkai so stubborn and non-responsive?"

"Why are ningen so nosey and talkative?" he snapped back. This was all he needed. The damn onna was probably going to talk his ears off the whole time he was stuck here. What were these idiots doing? Throwing tea parties for her? Obviously, they weren't questioning her hard enough. He gave in to the curiosity to see what kind of shape she was actually in and peered through the hole.

She seemed to be drenched in sweat, but other than that, he couldn't see a mark on her. The dark-haired ningen looked just like the picture Enma had shown him. Pretty, but nothing special, except for the fact that her eyes were sparkling and she was smiling. That, in itself, was special--it showed she was crazy.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome. Perhaps we can work together to get out of here. Got any of that wall-busting strength left?"

Well, damn. "Would I still be here if I did?" he answered curtly. It wasn't his problem. Let Enma explain why he didn't just bust them both out of here when he found her.

She sighed heavily. "I suppose not."

The girl fell silent for a few minutes. Then he heard the door to her cell open again. One of the ningen guards had brought her some food and water. "Could I please get some more water and some soap?" he heard her ask. "I'd really like to clean up a bit."

After the guard left, Hiei snorted aloud. Perhaps she wanted a pillow, too. Where the hell did the onna think she was? On vacation? He nearly choked when the guard returned a few minutes later with a bucket, a bar of soap and a rag. Her sweet-sounding "Thank you" made him want to throw up. These people were the worst torturers he had ever come across in all his years. They were _never_ going to get the information they wanted from her. He may as well just burn this place to the ground now and take her home.

His own personal youkai "guard" brought him a fairly decent meal--probably his own. He had picked a real winner with this one. He had easily subjugated the demon's will with the Jagan and implanted his own instructions for him to follow. It had been _so_ easy, in fact, that he had experienced a momentary sense of pride about how his mastery of the Jagan had grown over the years. Controlling the evil eye and mastering all of the skills and abilities it gave him had been one of his greatest personal tests, but it had been worth it. So it was irksome to realize that the ningen in the next cell had received basically the same results simply by batting her ordinary blue-gray eyes.

"Don't look. I'm going to wash up a bit," she told him.

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself." As if he would be interested in seeing her naked body.

He took just the smallest peek when he heard the rustle of her clothing as she removed her shirt to wash. Just as he'd thought. There wasn't a mark on her creamy flesh aside from a scar on her side. Damn, stupid youkai. What the hell were they doing? Giving her bad manicures? Threatening her with uneven cuticles? With one final look, he turned away in disgust.

"So, why are you here?" she asked him.

Because I'm an idiot. "Onna, it's bad enough that I _am_ here, so will you please stop making it worse by insisting on talking to me?"

Kagome laughed. "One of _those _youkai, huh? You'd rather rot in some prison than accept help from a human?"

"Help? From _you_? Don't make me laugh. If you could do anything to get out of here, _you_ wouldn't be here, either," he pointed out.

"I suppose that's true. But it doesn't mean that I am not capable of doing something that may further your own efforts."

"All of my efforts are being expended right now in blocking out the annoying sound of your voice." Could she not simply shut up? He was not going to be drawn into some kind of compassionate camaraderie with her through constant interaction. Leaning back against the wall, he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. "I just need to talk right now … to keep the nightmares at bay. They've been prying into my mind and it brings too much to the surface."

It was true that even after four years, Inuyasha and the others were never far from her thoughts. But what they were doing to her here was making her relive the past. Every memory felt so real, she could actually feel the confusion of finding herself in a strange place and time again. The fear and the pain of being attacked by a monster from her worst nightmares were fresh and her side ached. She could smell the smoke from the cook fires and taste the fish they had caught. Long-forgotten conversations played through her consciousness. The laughter, the anxieties, the determination, the … love--it was all right there at the forefront of her mind now. And her eyes burned with tears she refused to cry again. She still missed them. She still missed _him_.

So far, she was able to block her thoughts and memories from the youkai who had been assaulting her mind. She was sure she could hold out against him. He didn't know what he was up against. It wasn't just for _herself_ that she would stay strong. She would do it for Inuyasha. No one would turn his victory into defeat. She would make sure of that. And _no one_ would take him away from her.

After dressing again, Kagome walked to the back of the cell and looked up and out the window. It was already dark. Another day come and gone. She wondered if her mother knew she was missing. She hoped not, but it had been three days now and they usually called each other every few days. Goodness knows she never wanted to cause her mother any more worry. She had never been anything but accepting and supportive of the strange destiny her daughter had been called to, but Kagome knew it hadn't been easy for her to watch her leave time after time. There really was no way she could contact anyone who could help, either.

Would someone come for her? She still had powerful friends. But how long would it be before they missed her? And how long would it take them to find her? There was no way of knowing. Before now, she had always had faith that Inuyasha would help her. She had always known that no matter what, he would come for her. That knowledge gave her the strength and courage to face anything. And even now, knowing that he would never be able to come for her again, she still had faith that _someone_ would. Or that she would get an opportunity to escape. She wasn't exactly helpless.

At the moment, though, she _was_ struggling not to let her memories overwhelm her. She couldn't afford to get lost in them when she had to work so hard to keep them from being detected. So, she would use them to her advantage--to boost her spirits and resolve.

"Can I tell you a story? About the greatest youkai who ever lived?"

Hiei's eyes had snapped open the minute she had said they had been prying into her mind. That explained things, and he realized whoever was behind this was a lot more clever and probably more powerful than he had originally thought. And so was she. If she was keeping a youkai with the ability to manipulate and sift through her mind from discovering what she knew about the Shikon no tama's location, then she really was a powerful priestess. While some ningen, particularly the more intelligent ones, could not usually be controlled and made to do things they normally wouldn't do simply by an invasion of their minds, there were not many who could shield their thoughts and memories when probed.

Now he understood her earlier condition. While he couldn't _see_ any proof of torture or coercion, the sweat she had been covered in was evidence of her struggle. Hiei knew better than most that torture of the mind could be much, much worse than a physical beating. The darkness and terrors the imagination could produce, especially if the person had encountered true evil in their life, were limitless. If this girl had memories that she considered nightmares, he had no doubt that any attempts to probe her mind were indeed bringing them to the surface and probably magnifying them to her. It appeared there was more to her than he had thought. And he had to admit he was a little curious about who this onna would consider "the greatest youkai ever."

Taking his silence for assent, Kagome settled down and wrapped the thin blanket allotted to her around her shoulders. "There once was a hanyou, born from the love of an inu taiyoukai for a human woman. But his great and terrible father was killed and he and his mother lived with her people, where he was an outcast. Being a hanyou, he was reviled by the humans around him and regarded as worthless and weak by youkai. When his mother died, he was left alone in the world."

"Hmph. I thought you were going to tell a story about a great _youkai_," Hiei sneered.

"And I thought you didn't want to hear me talk," she replied, smiling to herself. "Please don't interrupt. Able to depend on no one but himself, he grew stronger and stronger as he struggled to survive. His only goal was to gain more power. Triumphing over greater and more powerful foes, time and time again, and fighting with nothing more than his bare hands, he created an attack from the youkai blood within him which proved that he could even draw strength from his injuries, and his name became known throughout the lands he traveled. And the humans feared him. But although he defeated hundreds of youkai, the rest still considered him weak because of the human blood that flowed in his veins.

And he spent his days and nights alone. His heart was bitter and lonely, and although he would never admit it, even to himself, he yearned for acceptance and companionship."

"That's a ningen weakness."

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. "Just like it's a youkai one to point out others' weaknesses. It makes you feel superior. Or is that just a male trait?"

"Is it our fault ningen, hanyou, and females in general HAVE so many weaknesses?" he answered.

She frowned, then decided to ignore him and continued, "But there was one person who didn't fear him. A powerful priestess was given guardianship of a sacred item which had the ability to enhance powers and grant wishes. When the hanyou heard of it, he came to steal it so he could become a full youkai. As strong as he was, the priestess was older and formally trained, in addition to being exceptionally powerful. So, she turned his attacks aside easily. But she recognized the humanity in him and could not bring herself to kill him.

So, he tried again. And again. And he couldn't understand why she kept letting him go. Until he finally realized she was a lot like him. She was feared and targeted by youkai, and even though she was human, she was not a part of them. Because of her duty, she kept to herself. She was alone. And lonely.

After a while, the hanyou stopped trying to steal the sacred item and simply sought her company. And she came up with a way to solve both their problems--or so she thought. She decided they should use the relic to make him a full human and she thought it would vanish then because it was a 'good' wish."

"There's nothing _good_ about that wish. He would be a fool to agree to that," Hiei interrupted.

"I agree, though not for the reasons I am sure you are thinking of. It was foolish for either of them to think it would be better for him to be anything but who he was. And it was foolish for her to think that turning a hanyou into a human made it a 'good wish' which would make the sacred relic vanish. Humans are not better, or worse, than hanyou or youkai. All are equally valuable and capable of love and hate, good and evil. But she didn't want the responsibility of guarding it. She longed to be an ordinary woman," Kagome explained.

"Hmph. She was a fool, too."

"Perhaps," she agreed slowly, "but her intentions were good. She thought they could get married then. But that was not to be their fate. The priestess was very beautiful, and a thief who fallen under her care because of burns so severe he could barely move fell in love with her, too. He knew the only way he could have her was to give up his body to a multitude of demons and merge with them. But when he did, his heart was overtaken by evil and he struck down the very woman he loved. Worse, he did it in the form of the hanyou, then took the priestess' form to trick him into stealing the sacred item. Because their feelings were so new and their hearts so fragile, they were easily deceived. And the priestess used the last of her strength to seal the hanyou to a tree. Unfortunately for the villain, the item was burned with the priestess' body and disappeared."

Hiei listened intently to the story as it continued to unfold. Though she never called it by name, this was definitely the legend of the Shikon no tama. Since she claimed to be the current rightful guardian, it was no wonder she knew its history, but he wondered just how much she was going to reveal. She should be trying to repress all thoughts associated with the jewel if she hoped to keep its current location to herself. He was sure she knew that, too. So why was she talking about it?

"After spending 50 years where he was neither alive nor dead, the hanyou was released by a girl who resembled his love and also possessed similar powers, though she was untrained and didn't even know she had those abilities. The sacred relic had returned to the world and was shattered--every shard possessing the ability to strengthen the one who held it. The girl, who was responsible for shattering it, and the hanyou traveled together to collect the pieces and restore it.

Along the way, the hanyou was able to claim his legacy from his father: a sword without peer, which could kill a hundred youkai with one swing. In order to master that ability, the hanyou had much to learn. Most of all, his father had wanted his sons to know the importance of having someone to protect. The hanyou fulfilled this requirement by declaring his intention to protect the girl, which enabled him to use the sword to fight off his older brother, an inu taiyoukai in his own right who wanted the sword for himself.

As they continued to travel and to fight for the shards against formidable foes who were utilizing its power, the hanyou was able to master other attacks and even to add new abilities to the sword by demonstrating his growing confidence in himself and in the companions who had gathered around him to help in his quest. By opening his heart and pouring out his protection over his new friends, he gained both strength and wisdom.

The quest to recover the sacred relic became twofold as he learned that the very demon who had impersonated him and the priestess all those years ago and set them against each other--a hanyou of sorts himself due to the nature of his origins--was also seeking to claim the complete relic. Having learned of his treachery, which resulted in the death of his love, vengeance burned in heart. To make matters worse, the priestess was resurrected in a fake body and wandered the lands for a time in that form. And the hanyou had to watch her die at the hands of his enemy again.

As time passed and the evil hanyou gained more and more shards, his strength also grew. He was able to summon thousands of low-level demons to his aid in addition to the youkai he created from parts of himself. At one point, he even used the shards to resurrect a group of mercenaries to keep his enemies at bay while he underwent his own transformation into a more powerful form. His influence and manipulation were so great that he was able to convince a saint to aid him by giving him shelter in a holy mountain which would prevent anyone with youki from getting to him.

But he underestimated the hanyou. Despite having to cross through a barrier which purified the youki from his body and left him only his human strength, he went. So great was his courage and determination that he was willing to undertake any task and to withstand any trial or hardship to overcome the evil which had caused so much suffering for himself and his friends and all across the land.

Time after time they met, and time after time, the evil hanyou was forced to retreat although he steadily came into possession of the majority of the shards. Every advantage he seemed to gain from the relic was countered by the increased strength the other hanyou earned by the sweat of his brow and the cry for righteousness that beat in his heart. It was true that he still desired vengeance, but he had also come to desire peace for the thousands of people who were affected by the struggle.

Along the way, he had earned the friendship and loyalty of powerful allies and even the respect of his elder brother. And when the day finally came when the last shard was wrested from the control of those who would keep it pure, and the sacred item was complete and tainted black in the presence of evil, the hanyou did not hesitate to stand against its power. The taint was so complete and the power was so great that his youki overtook his humanity and transformed him into a full youkai with all of the killing instincts and none of the caution or feeling of heart. Or so his enemy thought. But he been accepted and loved for who he was--both sides of him, and that knowledge could not be completely repressed. He was able to restrain himself enough to avoid injuring his friends and was able to regain control when he feared for safety of the girl he had pledged to protect.

The two of them were cut off from their companions to face the monster without aid, but together--protector and guardian--they knew it was finally time to end it. And the hanyou, who had once felt so alone and lived for nothing but the pursuit of power, had learned that he could be loved and respected for who he was and in turn, knew that there was nothing worth more than those he cared for. So, for them, he met the combined forces of the evil hanyou and the tainted sacred relic and gave up his life to make sure others could live in peace without fear. And that is why Inuyasha was the greatest youkai who ever lived."

Silence stretched between them for a few minutes and Hiei could tell she was lost in her thoughts. He knew she had a personal connection to the jewel because of her guardianship of it, but he could almost swear she felt tied in to its history. Her voice had been thick with emotion as she talked about the hanyou.

"He was still just a hanyou," he pointed out.

"Perhaps you're right," she conceded after a pause. "He _was_ a hanyou--more than human, more than youkai. The point is that despite the poor conditions he grew up in, he was able to learn to believe in himself and in others and that enabled him to rise so far above any expectations for one of his mixed birth that he defeated the greatest evil and saved everyone. The fact that he was willing to make that sacrifice after the life he had lived is what makes him the greatest youkai of all time. Thanks for listening to my story."

"Like I had any choice."

Kagome laughed at that. "Good night, youkai."

-----

They came for her shortly after dawn and Hiei was forced to do nothing but wait until they brought her to her cell that night. She looked to be in the same shape--the only evidence of the ordeal they had put her through was her sweat-soaked body. Again, when the ningen guard brought her food, she asked for extra water to bathe with. And again, Hiei rolled his eyes when the man brought it. Idiots.

"Are you all right?" she called to him softly.

"And what would you do if I weren't?" he asked, irritation evident in his voice. Why the hell was she asking about _him_?

"I have some healing ability. I have never learned how to use it properly, but I could help a little."

"I am in better shape than you are," he told her gruffly.

"All right. But if you ever need …"

"It was much more peaceful before they brought you back."

Kagome was quiet for a minute. She hoped that he wasn't snapping at her because he was in pain. Youkai, and men in general, really had way too much pride sometimes. All she could do was offer her help, though. She couldn't force him to accept it.

Wrapping herself in the blanket again, she sat down and closed her eyes. The memories they had dragged up today flashed through her mind. They had tried to find out who else might know anything about the Shikon no tama. But she had kept it hidden. Now, though, she was in the forest--she could hear the sounds of the night. The murmur of familiar voices. The crackling of an open fire as someone put more wood on it. Then a sharp crack echoed through the air. She smiled as she watched Miroku put a hand to his cheek. Sango was so strong.

"Can I tell you another story?"

"Can I stop you?"

"There once was a demon slayer who lost everyone she held dear in the course of a few horror-filled moments. The attack was swift and unexpected and the identity of the killer broke her heart. She couldn't understand it when she faced her younger brother and saw the blood of their father and all of their comrades on his weapons. What could she do when he turned to attack her? As she lay dying, the men of the village they had been called to help killed the boy with a barrage of arrows."

"That's a much better story than the one you told last night."

Kagome glared at the stone wall. "I'm just getting started."

"It was too much to hope that was the end," Hiei commented dryly.

Ignoring him, she continued, "Her brother was revived with the help of a sacred artifact, but it rendered him a mindless pawn of the evil hanyou who had controlled him in the first place. The demon slayer pulled herself out of her own grave by strength of will and determination alone. Her thoughts were full of vengeance for the one who had manipulated her brother.

But he was clever and he set her after his own enemies. He underestimated them, though, and they took her in and accepted her. He had an ace up his sleeve, though, when he revealed the brother's current condition. The demon slayer was torn between her desire for revenge and her love for her brother, and she longed to save him. But the boy had no memories of her.

The hanyou controlling him even sent him to her, and she tried to reach him. She was grateful just to have him with her. But it was a trap and he turned and attacked the girl who traveled with his sister. However, he did not kill her, though he could have. Somehow, despite the tainted sacred artifact that kept him alive and the will of his master, his sister's love had broken through and touched his heart.

When the demon slayer learned of her brother's treachery, though, she was distraught. She feared there was no hope for him and vowed to kill him herself. Catching up to him, she drew her sword to end the false life he was living, and she vowed that she would not let him die alone. Determined to kill herself and follow him in death, she was surprised when one of her new companions stopped her. She was even more surprised by who it was, for the hanyou she traveled with was fiercely protective of the girl his brother had injured. The boy was retrieved by his new master, and the demon slayer mourned for him again. But the hanyou, the girl, and her other companions all assured her that she should not give up hope."

Hiei snorted loudly. "Idiots."

"Not at all," Kagome said softly. "Though they ran into him time and time again, and he fought against them time and time again, the boy could not forget his sister's face. And each encounter strengthened their connection. He slowly began to recover his memories and he often thought death would be preferable to living with his guilt, but his sister's fierce devotion to him strengthened his resolve to atone for his sins by working against his master in any way he could.

He was finally able to break free with the help of a powerful priestess who was able to purify the sacred artifact that kept him alive. And when his master had finally been defeated, he was able to live without it, having pulled himself from his own grave, so to speak, just like his sister did with his willpower, courage, and heart. The young boy went on to become a great demon slayer in his own right, finding his own peace with his past. And his sister was able to finally move forward, too, secure in the knowledge that her love and belief in her brother had not been misplaced."

"I hope you will pardon me if I don't cheer. The survival of two _demon_ slayers hardly seems cause for celebration, considering I _am_ a demon," Hiei told her.

Kagome sighed. "The fact that they were demon slayers isn't the point. The point is that you should never give up hope on the ones you love."

"Will you shut up and go to sleep now?"

"Yes," she smiled. "Good night ... what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't."

"Well, good night, youkai."

-----

The rest of that week and the next one continued in the same fashion. They would come for her at dawn and return her as the sun went down. Hiei suspected that the youkai who was "questioning" her could only focus his or her powers for so long. Those kinds of abilities took up a lot of concentrated energy. They would be more successful if they had another youkai with those abilities to continue when that one had to leave off instead of giving the onna a break. But she was starting to have real nightmares now. And so she stayed awake longer and it made her even more talkative. To _him_, at least. She seemed to be holding strong against her captors. The onna really was a lot stronger than she looked.

Each night, she would ask if he was all right. Sometimes she would try to get him to tell her his name. And then the stories would begin. Although she told each one as a separate tale, it was easy for him to see that they were all related. And every damn one had a "point" to it--a lesson learned or some pithy little moral to live by. It was really annoying.

After the hanyou who found love and trust and sacrificed himself for them, like an idiot, and the demon slayer who didn't give up hoping that her brother could be saved-- even though she should have killed him a dozen times at least because he was so weak as to be controlled by her enemy and used against her and her friends, there were a whole slew of other prime examples of people chasing pipe dreams and good triumphing over evil because some fool got lucky, like Yusuke. He hoped Koenma had sent that damn detective on a dozen different missions while he had been stuck in here listening to tales of solitary demon lords who learned the value of compassion and companionship and itinerant monks who lived with the threat of sudden and immediate death every day, yet took the time to help ease the burdens and sorrows of others. And if he had to hear one more tale of a hanyou girl or man reviled by the ningen they lived among _saving_ them from youkai anyway, he was going to reach through that hole in the wall and choke her himself.

But from the way she talked about them, these people were more than stories to her. She knew them. The legend of the Shikon no tama was sketchy at best, but he was able to put the pieces together. She was the current guardian because she had fought for it in the past. With these people. He wondered if she would eventually share _her_ story with him and immediately closed his eyes and shook his head at the thought. Just how long was this going to take? It was time for the youkai here to step things up if they wanted her secret.

Apparently, they thought so, too. Finally. Or maybe they were just getting frustrated. When they brought her in that night, she was quiet for a long time. Curious, Hiei peeked through the hole and saw bruising along one side of her jaw and around one eye. She didn't mention it, though, when she asked him if he was okay.

"I'm fine, but you look a little worse for wear today," he observed.

Focusing on the hole in the wall, she put a hand to her face self-consciously. "Not too bad," she said. After a long pause, she told him, "The demon who has been trying to get into my mind got angry. But the one who is overseeing the questioning cut off his hand for hitting me in the face."

Hiei blinked at that. What possible reason could they have for leaving her untouched? Sure, she was attractive, but business was business. Unless they planned to do something else with her after they had the jewel, which couldn't possibly be good for her.

"You're wondering why, aren't you? Well, it's not because he's in love with me or anything like that," she laughed, then winced a bit at the slight pain. "I think he was afraid the other demon might break my jaw and I wouldn't be able to tell them what they want to know."

That made sense. But if that was the case, then he was losing faith that his associate could get the information directly from her mind. And it meant that his restriction really did apply only to her face. Hiei wondered briefly if she realized what that meant. Maybe this mission was almost over.

"Want to hear a story?"

-----

How many days had she been here now? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? Her family would be frantic. Would they have alerted the police? Or would they simply wait and hope and pray, knowing she was most likely beyond the help of the human realm? Did Shippou or Kouga know she was missing yet? If they did, she had no doubt there were search parties scouring the Makai, and that they would have gone to the Reikai for help, too. But it was still possible they didn't know. She didn't see them all that often. They had gone on with their lives after she had returned to her time. They had families and responsibilities in the Makai. Still, Shippou did try to see her every couple of months. Even after all those years, he felt their connection strongly. The thought made her smile.

She had known him as a grown kitsune now as long as she had as a kit--longer, actually--but some days it still seemed strange to think of him that way. He was quite handsome and charming, but still devilishly mischievous. She wasn't sure how his new mate put up with him all the time. Yanagi was so quiet and calm.

As she finished wiping the blood from her side, she picked her shirt back up to shrug into it. She couldn't contain the grunt of pain that escaped her lips as she did. She knew that her situation was growing more dangerous each day she was here. Now that they had decided to add a few whippings and beatings in with the mental probing, it was harder than ever to hold everything back. And if that youkai cracked through the stronghold she had built around her memories and thoughts ... well, it would be disastrous.

The strange thing was, now that she had the physical pains to contend with, her memories were easier to deal with when she was alone. Apparently, frailty of the human body trumps mental anguish sometimes by taking your concentration away from the mental and emotional realm and placing your focus on the physical. She chuckled to herself a bit as she thought that she was also finally trying to harness those latent healing powers. She wouldn't tell them they were doing her a favor by forcing her to search deep within herself. Not that she was very successful, but at least she was trying.

And she was grateful to have the company of the youkai in the next cell, though he still refused to tell her his name. Being able to talk about the people she loved and respected kept her spirits up. Heck, being able to _talk,_ period, was a big help. She didn't feel so alone here. She had no idea how he was being treated--if he was being held for information like she was, and therefore subject to beatings or torture or if he was just being kept locked up for whatever reason. Whatever the case, whenever someone came for her, she would make sure he was released, too.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Hmph. Worry about yourself, onna. You should tell them what they want to know," Hiei said, sitting down next to the hole with his back to the wall. She had never taken so long before to ask. He had known the minute they brought her back that they had finally drawn blood. The coppery smell of it was faint, but unmistakable. They had started whipping her a week ago, but whoever was wielding the whip was a master. Until today, he had only raised long, thin welts on her back, legs and arms. But today, he had broken the skin. Hiei had checked to see what kind of damage had been done and the cuts appeared shallow. They wouldn't scar, but they would sting like the devil. Of course, if she were whipped again tomorrow on top of those and then again the next day ...

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she replied.

"Suit yourself." Damn onna. As much as he hated to admit it, he was coming to feel a grudging respect for the blasted female. And as much as he wanted this mission to be over, he hadn't liked seeing the marks on her skin.

"What are you in the mood to hear tonight?"

"Silence would be nice for a change."

"A love story it is!" She chuckled when he made an involuntary choking sound. "There once was a powerful taiyoukai who fell in love with a human noblewoman ..."

-----

Just a few days later, they brought her back earlier than usual and her sobs filled the air. The smell of blood was so strong that Hiei quickly looked to see if she was mortally wounded. He cursed out loud when he saw the blood splattered across her face and soaking her shirt on one side. It was dripping from her hair, too, so he couldn't tell exactly where the injury might be. Could he get her to help in time? "Where are you injured?" he asked harshly.

Drawing in a ragged breath, she looked down at herself. "I'm not."

Was the girl in shock? "You're covered in blood."

Calming herself more, she told him, "This isn't my blood."

Processing that for a few seconds, he finally asked, "Then whose is it?"

"The guard's."

"The ningen who brings you extra water each night?"

"Yes," she nodded her head slightly, looking over at the bucket he had brought the night before. "The demon with the whip wasn't here today, so the overseer told the guard to do it. And ... he couldn't." She paused before telling him, "So the overseer cut his head off. Slowly." She shuddered at the memory.

"He must have been standing right next to you," the apparition commented, sitting back down now that he knew she wasn't going to die on him.

"He was."

Obviously, they had been testing the ningen. And he had failed. Hearing a few more sniffles, Hiei glanced at the hole in the wall. He didn't understand her. So the ningen had brought her a bucket of water each night. And he didn't want to beat her. Big deal. He had still been keeping her here. He was the enemy. She hadn't cried that much over her own injuries, though he knew they had to be hurting her. "Good thing you didn't empty that bucket yet. Wash yourself and toss the water out the window. You reek of blood."

She didn't answer, but he could hear her moving the bucket.

"I suppose now you're going to tell me about someone who tried to help someone else even though it got them killed. I can't imagine what the point would be, though."

"Gratitude. And compassion. Just because someone is working with your enemy does not necessarily make him your enemy, even if it appears that way at first. If you are all right and not needing my help, I'll tell you a story about a beautiful wind-witch."

-----

They hadn't fed her that night. Or the next. The youkai in charge here evidently had a sense of humor, sending her a bucket of water each night instead. And while Hiei had to agree with their tactics--the water would keep her alive and from dehydrating, but she would still grow weaker--he found himself staring at his own plate of food. Mentally kicking himself, he handed her the rice ball through the hole in the wall. "Here."

Moving over to see what the youkai wanted, Kagome stared at the rice ball in his hand. "Are you sure? I mean, aren't you hungry?"

With an exasperated sound, Hiei told her, "I'm not going to sit here with my arm out all night."

"Thank you. You're very kind." She took a bite, then sighed, "What I wouldn't give for some miso soup to go with this."

The apparition laughed at that. "Greedy, aren't you?"

"You're lucky you got your hand back."

"Are you out of stories yet?"

"What's this? Now you're asking for them?" she teased him.

"I thought you might show some mercy considering you're eating my food," he said gruffly. He was really quite amazed by her attitude. She was far from giving up. He was beginning to wonder just how long he really was going to be here. She wouldn't last forever, but she was sure as hell lasting a lot longer than he had ever thought she would. Of course, him feeding her wasn't helping his own cause, but he suspected it wouldn't really have much effect on the outcome. These youkai were going to have to step up their game to make her talk. Instead of adding to the mental distress they had been causing, their physical abuse, while weakening her body, seemed to be strengthening her resolve. Or was it? Truthfully, she had never even seemed close to wavering all this time. He frowned as he pondered that while she began another tale.

-----

It was just a couple of days later that it happened, and the suddenness of it took Hiei by surprise. The incredible power spike made the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. And the rush of energy that followed was so _pure_ it set his teeth on edge. He could feel several of the smaller, weaker concentrations of youki in the area disappear, along with one very strong one. He prepared to break out of his cell to find her and get her out of there before they actually killed her--and to get the information they had extracted from her, of course, before he fried all of those bastards. But, he stopped when he realized that _her_ power was the one left after the other died away. He wasn't sure what had happened, but they couldn't have broken through into her mind without overriding her power, could they?

His answers would be a while in coming, though, as when he heard the door to her cell open and the thud of a body hitting the floor a moment later, he realized she was unconscious. It was frustrating to have to wait, but short of busting through the wall, he had no choice. There was no doubt they had failed to get the location of the jewel from her, though, because the two ningen guards who had brought her back had been cursing and complaining about how much trouble she was and wondering how much longer they were going to have to deal with her.

When he finally heard her start to make noises that signaled she was waking, he was concerned by the sound of her breathing. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain, but he couldn't tell what kind of new injuries she might have. So, he waited for her to speak. But she didn't say anything. Trying to determine what the problem could be, all he saw were the wet tracks of tears down her face and the obvious effort she was making not to cry out loud. Then he noticed the way her arm was lying so stiffly across her middle while her hand was gripping the other one tightly. "Are you all right?" he finally asked.

It took her a few minutes to answer and when she did, her voice was shaky. "Yes," she managed to say quickly.

He scoffed at that. "Liar."

Slowly, she began trying to move closer to the hole in the wall by inching her way along on her side. "I'm ... still here, aren't I?" she answered when she finally got settled.

"It's your ribs, isn't it?"

She nodded. "And two fingers."

"What happened?"

"I ... really can't ... talk now," she said, wincing with the effort. She would need to try to speed that healing along, if at all possible--just trying to take a deep breath was painful. But she would have to rest first. "Could you ... tell me a story?" she asked.

Could he ...? Hiei stared at the wall in disbelief. She wanted him to tell her a story? "No."

Silence stretched out between them, broken only by slightly labored sounds of her breathing. When his youkai guard failed to show up with his dinner, he realized he had probably been one of the victims of her flare of power. Great. Now no one knew he was here and there would be no more food coming unless he took the risk of using the Jagan on another guard. Of course, given whatever had happened today was definitely on a whole other level than the way things had been proceeding, it was entirely possible that he would be out of here soon. Broken fingers were a deliberate torture. They were moving into the much more crude methods now, and as strong as the onna was, she was still a ningen.

And she might feel the responsibility of being the guardian of the jewel, but when it boiled right down to it, it was still a duty to an inanimate object and an ideal. It was true there were zealots, both youkai and ningen, who would give up everything for a ridiculous belief in some principle, but this girl had family and friends, and he knew he was not mistaken about where her priorities lie. The people she loved would always come first to her, regardless of the potentially damning consequences. She would always believe that as long as they were all safe, they would be able to overcome whatever situation she might bring about in the process of saving them. In the hopes of making it back to her family so they wouldn't suffer her loss, she would eventually give up the jewel. He nodded to himself. He was sure he right about that. She would then gather her "powerful friends and allies" and try to retrieve it. But it would be locked away in the Reikai vaults instead of somewhere here in the Makai. Seeing her fortitude throughout her ordeal here, Hiei wasn't so sure it would be safer there than with her. After all, _he_ had broken into the Reikai's vaults before.

Hearing her groan quietly as she moved slightly to try to get comfortable, he leaned his head back against the wall. "There once was a great and powerful youkai, feared by all who knew him or his reputation. He killed without conscience or remorse. The thrill of the fight and the rush of testing himself against others where the outcome meant life or death exhilarated him, and he felt joy in the killing.

His companions deserted him, unable to match him in strength or power and fearing to be the next to die by his hands. That suited him, though, as he answered to no one and didn't need anyone holding him back. He roamed where he wanted and took what he wanted and grew stronger."

"Sad," Kagome whispered.

"Are you not listening, onna? This is not 'sad.' This is a story about a youkai who embraced who and what he was. He thrived and was respected for his skill and power. And when he thought he was strong enough, he tested himself by allowing most of his power to be stripped from him in order to gain a much-needed ability. He was not a fool, though, and knew he needed to gain new skills in order to survive until he mastered this new ability and regained his former strength.

As he did, he learned of a task he needed to accomplish which he did not currently have the power to do. So, he stole a powerful artifact to boost his strength and allow him to control others so he could do what he needed to do. In order to steal the artifact, he joined with two other thieves, who took two other artifacts, but was betrayed by one who abandoned him and their goal for his own agenda, and the other one was killed.

Together, the three artifacts would have enabled them to accomplish powerful feats. So the youkai decided to obtain the others for himself and to carry on with their plans alone. The other two had fallen back into the hands of the those who guarded them, so he had to challenge a ningen with unusual powers in order to get them. Though he was still not back to his former strength, the youkai was supremely confident. However, by a twisted stroke of fate, the ningen pulled a bone-headed move and it worked."

He ignored the tiny giggle he heard from his audience, along with the slight sounds of pain that followed it and continued, "As fate would have it, he was later thrown into a position where he and the ningen had a similar goal which involved defeating other youkai. To get to them, they had to pass through a gate where a trap was set. Right as they reached the gate, a low-level youkai threw a lever and the ceiling of the tunnel they were standing in dropped on them. They were able to hold it up for a while, but the gate itself was rigged to analyze the strength of each person under it and to apply the exact amount of pressure he could tolerate. The second someone let up at all, the gate would crush them.

The low-level youkai called it the Gate of Betrayal because if one tried to escape to save himself, the other would be killed. If they stuck together, they would perish together when one's strength eventually gave out. It was a test of sorts. An easy one. But the ningen surprised the youkai by telling him to make a try for the lever, claiming he could take on his share of the ceiling's weight for a second or two. The youkai was extremely quick and it could actually work. But he had no reason to pull the lever once he was free."

"But he did," Kagome interrupted.

Annoyed, Hiei looked through the hole at her. "Yes, he did. Because he knew the ningen might be useful in the coming fight."

"That's not why he did it," she said, panting a bit to try to keep from breathing in too deeply as she tried to lift her head up to see him better.

"And how would _you_ know?' he sneered at her. "I'm telling this story and the point to it is that sometimes even moronic ningen can be useful and therefore get their asses saved even though they deserved to be left to die."

"No," she smiled, though the effort it took to remain in the position she was in made it look more like a grimace. "The point is that trust begets trust ... the human trusted the demon, and so he repaid that trust. I'll bet ... they became good friends." Unable to stay like that, she let her head drop back and struggled to get comfortable again.

"Fine. Believe what you want," Hiei snapped. "If you don't like my stories, don't ask me to tell them."

"I do like it," she protested. "What was the great and powerful youkai's name?"

He paused before replying, "Hiei."

"Ungh," she grunted as she reached her uninjured hand through the hole. "Thank you ... Hiei."

He stared at it for a few seconds before touching it briefly. "Go to sleep."

-----

The next day passed relatively quietly. No one came for Kagome and after getting some rest, she was able to concentrate on trying to call forth some healing powers to help her ribs. She wasn't able to do much, but it did relieve the pain somewhat, and she was able to breathe a lot easier. It would have helped tremendously if she could have bound them. She _was_ able to tear a piece from her shirt to wrap her two fingers together.

Hiei waited until the afternoon to question her about what had happened. "Care to tell me now how you managed to purify so many of the youkai guards? And why now and not earlier? And why they haven't come to question you today?"

"Well," she hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain, "they have been trying to distract me with physical pain while the one youkai tried to break into my mind. And when the overseer had one of the guards break my fingers, he finally did it." She hung her head and he couldn't see her eyes for her bangs.

"So, they _did_ find out what they wanted to know," he said slowly. Damn it. They could have already retrieved the jewel by now.

"No. I would never let that happen," she vowed fiercely.

Furrowing his brow, Hiei shook his head slightly in agitation. "Then explain to me what the hell happened," he demanded.

"When he broke the seal I was maintaining on my mind, he released my purifying powers. He was destroyed instantly, along with the less powerful guards. The overseer grabbed me and threw me into the wall, which cracked some of my ribs. But I was able to partially purify him, too, when he touched me. So he ordered the guards to bring me back here."

"If you could purify the demons here, why didn't you do it sooner?"

"I can gather my powers to send them out through an arrow--the only weapon I know how to use--or into my hands to be expelled by touch. The youkai here know not to get too close to me. The human guards are the only ones I have had close enough contact with," she told him.

"Then how did you purify the youkai?" he asked harshly. This was getting irritating. What she was saying was at odds with what happened.

"The one trying to find out the ... information from me touched my mind. With his. And when my purifying powers were released that way, they passed through him like an arrow into the hallway, killing the less powerful guards."

The apparition nodded to himself. It really was rather fiendish of her to have sealed her mind that way. It showed a deeper determination than he had given her credit for. There was more bite to her than he had suspected. And he knew he had been right about her fighting for the jewel in the past. Only he was beginning to think she had actually done more real _fighting_ than her stories let on. She always marginalized the part "the girl with the untrained powers" played, when she bothered to mention her at all.

He waited a few more hours before trying to find out more about her. "Tell me a story, onna."

Kagome blinked. It was still earlier than their usual "storytime," and he had never asked her to tell one before. "Um, okay. There once was a kitsune ..."

"No. I want to hear a specific story," he interrupted. "Tell me about the girl your great hanyou protected. The one he pledged to protect. You said he found love and acceptance--so it had to be from her since the first priestess was killed again. They faced the evil hanyou together. If she had powers similar to the priestess, then why didn't she purify him like you did all those youkai yesterday? Why did your 'great hanyou' have to sacrifice himself to save everyone? He left her all alone when he did that, right? What did she do?"

It took her several minutes to respond. She wasn't sure why he wanted to know those things, other than he must have realized the girl in her stories was her, just like she had realized he had been talking about himself in his story. So, was he just curious about her? About her powers? After what had happened here, she couldn't blame him. But he was asking about a very painful part of her past.

Just when he thought she wasn't going to answer, she gave a deep sigh and began, "There once was a young girl who lived a very normal life and was perfectly happy doing so. But unknown to her, she possessed unusual powers and had been handed down a legacy which made her the guardian of a sacred object. The object itself had been reborn within her both for its protection and as a way of fully integrating their destinies. One day, she was pulled into a strange world and the object was taken from her. Not yet understanding her connection to it, she briefly thought of turning her back and trying to return to her normal life. But she had crossed paths with a cursed hanyou and had sensed a connection to _him._ Having freed him from his curse, they journeyed together when the sacred item was shattered in order to reclaim it.

Even when they knew little about each other, he pledged himself to protect her and they soon grew to care about each other. Though it was hard for the hanyou to believe that he could place his trust in others, during their time together and with their friends, he was finally able to accept it. However, because of his continued love for the first priestess, he would not act on his growing feelings for the girl. He could not keep them from showing through, though, in his actions to keep her safe and in his obvious concern for her well-being, which spelled out quite clearly what was in his heart. Her feelings for him were no secret, either. But she understood his hesitancy and respected his love for the priestess and didn't want to force him to choose between them. So, they stayed at arms-length for most of their journey.

Just as he had grown in strength and wisdom during their travels, so did the girl. She learned to harness some of her powers through experience and necessity. At one point, before the evil hanyou had collected many pieces of the sacred relic, she was able to purify him to the point that he had gone into hiding and began to experiment with different forms of his body. And just as the hanyou was able to destroy a hundred youkai with one swing of his sword, she was able to purify many low-level ones with a single arrow. She could also disperse the poisonous miasma the evil hanyou would often release on them and her sacred arrows could penetrate some barriers. She later found out that her true powers had been sealed before her birth."

_That _caught Hiei's attention. Just how powerful was she? And how pathetic was it that she could completely destroy youkai and yet be kept at the mercy of ningen? The kami had a strange sense of humor.

She continued, "After he had gathered all of the shards of the sacred object, the evil hanyou isolated himself as he pieced it back together and learned how to access all of its power. All of the hanyou's companions knew they would have to make their stand there. They were tense and determined and no one spoke of the possibility of defeat. In truth, the girl never doubted they would win, but she knew it was more important than ever before to make sure the hanyou she loved knew her heart and her complete faith in him.

So, she went to him and poured out her heart and heard his vows of love in return. And they let themselves block out the world and the coming day and celebrated what they had found in each other. They took strength and peace in those moments and were ready to face their enemy with no reservations and no regrets.

The fight was hard as the evil hanyou delighted in trickery and mind games, and he tried time and again to cause the friends to do things which would hurt each other and darken their own souls so the sacred item would be further tainted. But they pushed on. He was able to separate the group, though, and in the end, the hanyou and the girl faced him together. For a long while, the two hanyou fought each other, each suffering terrible wounds. And finally, the hanyou turned to the girl and told her to take her shot. She was stunned because they both knew that for her to do so while he was so close to the other hanyou would mean the youki would also be purified from _his_ body. And with the wounds he had, there would be no hope for recovery. For what seemed like an eternity, she stared into his eyes. Then he smiled, and she fired her arrow.

The evil hanyou was immediately purified, and she ran to the spot where her beloved lay dying. In his human form, he was too weak to even raise his head and she gently lifted it and placed it in her lap. He handed her the sacred object, which had also been purified again by her arrow and whose powers were now lying dormant, and he asked her to place his soul in it when he died. He knew the evil hanyou's soul had been caught inside the relic and he told her he wanted to be there, too, in case the object's powers ever became active again, so he could continue to fight against the enemy and help keep it in balance so she could keep it pure. That way, he could continue to protect her as much as he could. She asked him if he was sure, because it would mean giving up all chances for a new life when he was reincarnated. But he managed to smile at her and he said that he had already experienced all the best that life had to offer in this one. And as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his, he died."

She fell quiet for a minute then and Hiei knew she was lost in her memories. but he had to ask, "And did she place his soul in the sacred object like he asked?"

"Yes. And she went back to her normal life in her world."

"Well, I am curious to know just what the girl learned from this. What 'point' do you give this story? Because it seems to me that it just goes to show that no matter how strong a hanyou becomes, he will always have a fatal weakness. Or if you're going to try to tell me what it shows about _love_, I must point out that every 'love story' you've told me has ended in tragedy. So, perhaps the point is that love is a waste of time. And you said the hanyou sacrificed himself to save everyone, but it was really the girl who killed the evil hanyou, wasn't it?" he said accusingly.

"Do you practice being disagreeable or does it come naturally to you?" she asked. "The girl's arrow destroyed the evil hanyou, but only because he was already wounded, and she never would have fired it if the hanyou had not told her to and let her know he was willing to make that sacrifice. And love is never a waste of time. One member of a couple dying does not make their love a tragedy, either. It's only a tragedy if that love was never acknowledged."

"But she was left alone because of a choice he made," the apparition stubbornly pointed out. "He can't really protect her anymore."

"Sometimes love involves sacrifice, and sometimes love means letting someone else make that sacrifice," she said quietly. "And just knowing he is still there gives her the strength to do what she has to do, so he continues to protect her from within."

And that was really all Hiei needed to know. He had been wrong. And King Enma had been wrong. She would never give up the jewel because it was more than a duty or an ideal to her. The jewel was _him_--the hanyou she had loved. And she would die and take it that knowledge with her until she was reincarnated again to continue guarding it. And she had already proven that she was willing and capable of killing, even to the point of sacrificing everything she held dear, if it meant letting her hanyou continue to do what he felt he must. He would not be able to "save" her after she told these youkai what they wanted to know because she would never tell them. So, he might as well get them the hell out of here before they ended up killing her. Because after yesterday, he was sure things were going to get ugly.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the door to her cell banged open and he heard a deep voice say, "You heard the boss. It's funtime."

There was no mistaking the man's meaning, and Hiei's eyes flashed with anger. It was true rape was a very effective means of breaking someone down, but it took someone who was sick and twisted to do it. He didn't consider it a legitimate form of torture. And he sure as hell wasn't going to stand by and let them do it to her. It was time to leave.

It only took him two solid hits to make the wall between the cells crumble. But the sight that met his eyes made his blood boil. Her cry of pain was muffled as one of the ningen shoved her face into the ground. He had his knee in her back and had one arm twisted behind her where he was holding her by her injured hand. A second ningen was already tugging at her pants, while a third was undoing his own. Ningen didn't belong in the Makai and he was going to rectify that situation right now.

A second later, three bodies hit the floor. When he went to pick her up, he got an elbow in the face as thanks. "Damnit, onna. It's me."

Turning slightly, she breathed out, "Hiei?"

"Yes. I thought you might like to go with me. I'm tired of this place."

Kagome tried to sit up, but the renewed pain in her ribs made her gasp. She felt like someone was squeezing a tight band all around her middle and chest. If a few of her ribs had been cracked, they were definitely broken now. One of the guards had kicked her when the other one had thrown her down. She glanced around and saw that they were all dead and she didn't have it in her to be sorry.

Hiei had to admit, he was glad to see she had still been ready to fight. She definitely wasn't the type of person to give up. But it was obvious they had aggravated her injuries. There was no way he would be able to just pick her up and carry her like he'd been vaguely thinking, and tossing her over his shoulder was out. Besides, he wanted a free hand to torch this place with. So, he told her to wait there and went out into the hall.

Unleashing the Jagan, Hiei pinpointed the location of everyone in the stronghold. He was awfully tempted to summon the dragon and send him after all their asses, but he would need to be able to get them to the Ningenkai afterwards, so that was out of the question. And he wasn't going to waste his time trying to find out who was in charge of this ape unit right now, either. He was simply going to kill everyone here, get the onna, and go.

In a matter of minutes, he returned and helped her up, ignoring her grunts of pain. Turning his back to crouch down a bit, he looked over his shoulder and told her, "You'll have to try to hang on."

She tried to answer, but at the moment, she was having enough trouble just catching her breath, so she nodded instead. Gritting her teeth, she moved into the position she had occupied so often years ago and was relieved to note that it wasn't any more painful then just lying still. She was a little hampered when it came to hanging on, though, because her right hand was useless. So, she simply tucked it up between her chest and his back and held onto his shoulder with her left one. She would be relying on situating her weight against his back and he leaned forward slightly to accommodate that. With her legs securely around his waist, she waited for him to leave.

He took off quicker than she expected and she leaned in even closer against him to make sure the motion didn't throw her off. Hiei didn't move in great bounding leaps like Inuyasha often did, though, and his stride was smooth and even. The landscape was little more than a blur and it wasn't long at all before she simply buried her face in the back of his neck and fell asleep.

Hiei was surprised at how comfortable he felt carrying her this way. It didn't slow him at all and he was making good time to the border between the realms. He was taking her to Genkai's temple where Yukina could heal her injuries. Then he would go into the Reikai himself to make his report and to tell King Enma he should leave her the hell alone. Wherever she was keeping the jewel, there was no place it would be safer.

-----

Yukina had let him in and followed him to the room he sometimes used when staying here. Genkai came to see why he had come, too. Seeing Kagome, she frowned. She couldn't think of a single reason why the fire demon would be carrying around a human girl--an injured one at that, if her groans when he had slid her off his back and onto the bed were any indication. "This should be an interesting story," she commented dryly.

"Not particularly," was all he said to her before turning to Yukina, "She has some broken ribs and fingers that need tending to, as well as some cuts on her back and legs." He looked at her arms, but they seemed all right. Leaving her in the Koorime's care, he headed into the bathroom to take a nice, hot shower.

When he stepped back out wearing a clean pair of pants, he saw Kagome sitting on the edge of the bed talking quietly with the other women. Flashing him a grateful smile, she stood up and picked up a light blue yukata Yukina had given her. "I'll be right out," she told him as she made her way into the bathroom he just vacated.

"So, you saved her, huh?" Genkai said, looking him square in the eye. "How very fortunate for her that you were tossed into the same prison."

"Yes!--I mean, I'm sorry that you were imprisoned," Yukina hastened to assure him, "but it's wonderful that you were able to help her."

"Hn."

"Well, I think we will leave Kagome to her rest for the night. Her mother is coming here tomorrow to pick her up. I expect you will be reporting this _incident_ to the Reikai," Genkai said.

The apparition eyed her coldly as she turned and left, followed by Yukina. The little Koorime paused at the door to say, "That really was a very nice thing you did. Good night."

Well, damn. If he didn't already want to kick Enma's ass for this mess, he sure would now. He couldn't care less what the rest of the world thought of him, but he hated to disappoint Yukina.

His dark thoughts must have shown on his face because Kagome looked at him in concern as she came back into the bedroom. She walked up and put a hand on his cheek, startling him. "Are you all right?"

Moving away, he answered curtly, "I'm fine."

"Thank you. For ... everything. I know you didn't have to take me with you when you were able to break out of there, and I'm grateful. I'm grateful you brought me here, too. Yukina and Genkai are so kind, and it really is wonderful not to have to spend the next couple of months on the mend."

Changing the subject, he said, "I take it you called your family to let them know you are all right."

"Yes," she smiled brightly. "It was a relief to be able to calm their fears."

"You should get some rest." And with that dismissal, he started to leave. There was no point in putting off his trip into the Reikai. It wasn't going to be pleasant. He was stopped by the feel of her hand on his arm.

"Don't go."

He stood there for a second before turning to face her. And even though he suspected what he would see, her expression made him feel ... _something_. Her need was written all over her face. The yearning in her eyes was almost painful to see. He understood it. After all she had been through, she needed the reassurance of another's touch--so she wouldn't feel so alone. Now, when her ordeal was finally over, and she was safe--now was the time when she would feel most vulnerable. She didn't have the need to fight or to be strong. So, she needed something else to keep from thinking about what could have happened.

And he wanted to turn away because he didn't need this--he didn't need to feel connected to her, or responsible for her, or like he _knew_ her and understood her. He didn't need her getting under his skin. But she was already there.

Reaching out and cupping her jaw, he slowly dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. He couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be loved by someone like her. Just once. So he stepped closer to her and peered intently into her eyes. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes," she whispered.

And he found he couldn't deny her, or himself. Brushing his lips over hers, he savored the softness of them. Both of her hands slid up his arms and rested there for a minute before traveling down his sides and around his back, pulling him closer. Hiei had not really taken much notice or her form or figure other than to assess her injuries, so now he let his hands slowly and meticulously roam, pleased with the ample curves on her slim frame.

Feeling the yukata slide from her shoulders, Kagome moved her arms to let it fall to the floor. Almost not believing her own boldness, she reached for the waistband of his pants, but found him already undoing them. She helped him push them down his hips, then ran her hands along his skin while he stepped out of them. He was firm and solid everywhere, inspiring confidence, just like his voice had done all those nights.

Stepping back, she took his hand to lead him over to the bed. She had no doubts and she didn't hesitate. As she reclined, she pulled him down with her. Neither of them said a word as they simply took what the other was offering. And although she hadn't been with anyone since Inuyasha, Kagome wasn't nervous. She trusted this man. She knew he wasn't the type to coddle someone, but that wasn't what she needed. And she wasn't asking for promises or forever. Just this.

Hiei closed his eyes when she kissed her way down his jaw to his neck. He rolled them so she was lying partially on top of him, content to run his fingers through her hair while she traced and lightly squeezed the muscles in his arms. Normally, he would be the one taking the lead and setting the pace, but he was curious to see what she would do. And he wasn't disappointed. She touched and caressed his chest and abdomen next, lightly, but firmly. And those soft lips of hers warmed his skin and made his nerves tingle. She was very thorough in her exploration, but when barely more than a grazing touch revealed his state of readiness, she moved to straddle him.

He wasn't going to complain about that, either, since the position gave him plenty of access so he could conduct his own explorations. Opening his eyes, he discovered he also enjoyed the sight she presented. She was really quite beautiful, though he would be the first to admit that outer beauty didn't hold the allure for him that it did for most. No, it was her strength of will and fierce devotion to her loved ones that drew him to her. And right now, what he found most attractive was the confident desire in her eyes, though he wouldn't deny that the knowledge of the onna's raw, dangerous power added a spark to his pleasure. The fact that she was truly lovely was just icing on the cake.

And she was giving herself to him without reservation. It was a heady sensation to know that. This was an onna who should never be within the grasp of a youkai like him. She should belong to someone else. She _had_ belonged to someone else. And he supposed that inu hanyou would always be in her heart. But that foolish hanyou had given her up when he embraced his death. Was there room now for someone else? Would someone else take up the place he had left open? He couldn't imagine an onna with her passionate propensity to love would keep it to herself forever.

His thoughts faded into the background as she rubbed herself along his length, coating him with the evidence of her own readiness. He drew her attention away from the pleasant sensations she was giving herself with a throaty grunt and when she locked eyes with him, he grasped her hip with one hand and himself with the other to guide his way into her heated depths.

Kagome couldn't look away from his eyes--they glowed like twin embers and she had the sensation she sometimes got when she stared into an open fire. It was almost hypnotic, but she was fully aware of the thick shaft that was slowly penetrating and filling her. There was a vague feeling of discomfort as she stretched to accommodate him and it made her gasp. She could see his jaw clench and feel his hand at her hip pressing into her skin as he urged her down on him.

When he was finally fully sheathed inside her, she reached out and let her fingertips graze down the side of his face. He was handsome, though his features were neither classically fine nor rugged. They were clean and sharp and they suited him perfectly with his quick wit and cutting tongue. She felt like she knew him so well and she felt closer to him than she had to anyone in a long, long time, even though she knew that after tonight, they might not ever see each other again. But that was okay. She was just grateful he was here now.

Placing both hands on his chest, she pressed against the firm muscles there as she lifted herself slightly and began to move. For the moment, he was willing to let her control her movements as he used one hand to savor the smoothness of her skin at her waist and abdomen as he made his way up to cup an enticingly full breast. He watched the way her eyes darkened when he plucked at the tightly-budded nipple and he felt her shudder as her inner muscles clenched around him. She was extremely sensitive and responsive and he smirked evilly as he did it again, pulling a small cry from her. He was surprised then, when she deliberately squeezed his cock on her next upward motion.

Moving his hand back downward, he spread her thighs further and then gripped them to shift her forward and then back. Her eyes widened at the unexpected movement before she took over and rocked back and forth experimentally a few times. A smile slowly spread across her lips as she varied her movements to great effect, causing his hips to jerk involuntarily. His eyes flashed as he rubbed a thumb over the sensitive flesh exposed to him and she moaned in pleasure. "Hi-ei ..."

The sound of his name on her lips struck something deep inside him and he grasped her hips again to hold her still so he could drive up into her. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to hold onto his shoulders. The sudden nearness had him wanting more and he cursed as he sat up and clasped her to him. Moving to his knees, he lifted her just enough so he could capture one pert nipple with his mouth. Drawing on it strongly, he heard her breath catch and he squeezed the round buttocks he was now holding in his hands. One of her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders while the other curved up the back of his head and her fingers twined through his hair. For several long moments, the only sounds in the room were of him suckling and her harsh breathing. Then, without warning, he pulled away and lay her down.

Hovering over her, he gazed at her flushed face before lowering himself to taste her swollen, parted lips. He drove into her body with a powerful thrust and swallowed her cry with his own low moan. She held him tightly to her as he pushed them both higher, making everything fall away but the two of them as they both searched for something. And it took all of Hiei's will to hold on until she shuddered in his arms and they both rode out the aftershocks.

As she drifted off to sleep, Kagome lazily traced small designs on his skin. "Thank you," she said quietly, "for staying." Her last coherent thought was that this was comfortable, and it felt very right.

When her breathing evened out, Hiei looked at the dark head of hair on his chest and shoulder. He was glad he had stayed. Even if she hated him tomorrow, he knew what it felt like to be the center of her world for just a little while. And that was enough.

Easing her gently to the side, he slipped from the bed and got dressed. He would talk to Yusuke first and then go into the Reikai. The detective could tell her the truth tomorrow. He didn't want her to have to face him and feel that she had been weak to give so much away to someone who had betrayed her trust. As he looked down at her face one last time, he felt uncomfortable knowing that not even _she_ could manage to find a good point for this story.

-----

Almost four months had passed before Hiei finally gave up and went to see her. He knew very well where she lived, having sought her out many times just to see if she was all right. He never went close enough where she might catch a glimpse of him, but contented himself with a quick look at her.

He had found out soon enough just who her "powerful friends and allies" were. Former assassin and master illusionist Shippou and Lord Kouga of the Northern ookami were the most vocal. But it has been the quiet persuasiveness of an unassuming hanyou named Jinenji and the silent, menacing threat of the taiyoukai Lord Sesshoumaru that had Koenma knocking on his father's door and demanding an audience. Naturally, King Enma denied any wrong-doing and refused to see anyone, but Koenma had assured them all that Kagome would receive no interference from the Reikai when it came to her guardianship of the jewel, and that the Reikai could be counted on to help keep her safe.

Shippou and Kouga had sought Hiei out personally for the truth of the matter and all the ugly details, but he had told them that was Kagome's story to tell. He was busy tracking down whoever had sent the ningen guards into the Ningenkai to capture her in the first place. It had taken him two weeks to find him. If anyone else was looking, they never would.

The apparition had spent the next three months wondering why he felt so unsettled. The vague feeling of unease was irritating. It had been something of a shock for him to realize that he wasn't finding the silence and the shadows of the darkness as soothing as he used to. He refused to believe his conscience was bothering him. Guilt was a waste of time because what's done is done. And the onna was fine--he had checked to see. More than once.

He had come to the uncomfortable conclusion that he _had_ formed some kind of connection with her. And it wasn't just that the sex was good--he could get that anywhere. No, he actually wanted to see her, and to listen to her absurd stories, and scoff at her ridiculous view of things. She was ... different. _Interesting_. And more than the vast majority of people he had come across in his life, she was worth his time, and she had made him feel she valued his.

So, here he was, and there she was, and he had no idea what her reaction would be to seeing him again. He'd probably be lucky if she didn't purify his ass. Landing on her balcony where she was hanging out laundry, he waited to se what she would do.

When Kagome saw him standing there so stiffly, she frowned as a dozen different thoughts raced through her mind. She wondered why he had come to see her now, after so many months had gone by. Stepping towards him, she noticed he didn't move except to tense a bit. "If you had shown up 3 months ago, I might have slapped you," she told him. "If you had shown up 2 months ago, I might have asked what you were doing here." She continued to come closer. "If you had shown up 1 month ago, I might have thanked you again for saving me." She stopped in front of him.

"And now?" he asked.

"Now, I will ask you how you are," she said, reaching out to touch his face briefly.

He blinked in surprise and she laughed. "You really didn't pay attention to the stories I told you, did you? I hope you didn't think I would be hypocritical enough to forgive one person for harming me while under someone else's control and not you. You didn't even injure me."

Hiei narrowed his eyes. "No one controls me."

"You are under obligation to the Reikai," she pointed out.

"Onna, I don't want you to whitewash what happened. There was a reason why I was the one who was sent. It's because it wouldn't bother me to stand by and let someone be tortured. I am no hero."

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him. "No. No, I suppose you aren't--not in the conventional sense, anyway. But you aren't as black-hearted as you'd have me believe. I know what your instructions were. Your friend, Yusuke, told me. And you didn't have to spring me from there when you did."

"I was tired of the place."

She grinned. "So was I."

"There was no point in staying any longer, you would not have told them what they wanted to know."

"You're right," she agreed quietly. "I wouldn't. But you couldn't know that for sure."

"Hmph. I did," he told her.

"Then you _were_ listening to what I said. And more than that, you gave me credit for being strong enough to hold out. I thank you for that. Many people underestimate me, seeing only what is on the outside. But, enough about that," she clapped her hands together. "Suppose you tell me why you are here now? I very much doubt you came to apologize and seek my forgiveness."

"Good. Then you won't be disappointed."

She laughed again and gestured to a couple of chairs. "Have a seat and I will bring out some tea."

Hiei was a bit bemused that she was treating this like a normal social visit. She definitely had a talent for keeping him a bit off-balance, which simply meant he would have to stay sharp around her--and that wasn't a bad thing. He enjoyed a challenge.

After they were both settled, she looked at him questioningly, "Well?"

"Will you let me tell you a story?" he asked.

He could tell he had managed to surprise her with that, and when she nodded, he began, "There once was a powerful youkai who loved to fight and rejoiced in killing."

"I've heard this story before," she interrupted, "but I thought he was 'great and powerful,' instead of merely powerful."

Raising a brow at her, he gave her a cold look. "You may have heard part of the story, but not the part I'm going to tell you. And of course he was great and powerful."

"I thought so," she giggled.

"Do you want to hear this or not?" he asked crossly. When she covered her mouth with a hand, he continued, "This youkai lived his life exactly the way he wanted to, building a fearsome reputation and growing in strength and skill. Then one day he faced a ningen with unusual powers who pulled a lucky shot out of his ass and was able to take the youkai into the Reikai to be judged for his alleged crimes."

Kagome reached over and touched his arm. "I told you I know this story and you don't have to explain."

"You are making this very difficult with your tiresome interruptions. Will you let me get on with it?" he said in an exasperated tone.

"Sorry," she said, removing her hand and resting it in her lap.

Hiei looked at her hand for a minute, briefly lamenting the loss of its touch on his skin. Then he looked away as he went on with his story. "The judgment handed down was that he should serve the Reikai by helping the idiot who had caught him protect the Ningenkai. For the most part, this involved chasing down rogue youkai who had crossed the barrier between the realms for mischievous and evil purposes.

But one day, he was summoned for a special assignment: to rescue a ningen female who had managed to get herself kidnapped and imprisoned in the Makai. The girl had guardianship over a powerful object and it seemed doubtful she could protect it." He glared at her when she made a noise in protest. "The youkai was told to let the kidnappers get the information from her so the Reikai could retrieve the object and keep it safe. And he wasn't opposed to that, except he felt the Reikai should do their own dirty work instead of leaving it in the hands of amateurs."

He paused for a minute there to see what her reaction would be, but she merely looked at him. "The girl surprised him, though, and turned out to be a lot stronger than he thought. Still, she was just a ningen and he knew it was just a matter of time--until he found out more about her through her incessant chattering. He realized they had all underestimated her devotion to the object and her determination to keep it safe. Underneath her seemingly soft exterior lay a will of iron, and she would not hesitate to kill or to die for it. She would not be broken, and when the youkai finally understood that, he abandoned his mission and took her out of there.

But the story didn't end there, because even though he had left her to go on with her life, he found that during the long hours he had been forced to listen to her, he had become used to the sound of her voice and the naive view she had of life and of people. And his former contentment with himself and his life was tarnished by an inexplicable desire to tell her what was wrong with her interpretation of things."

"Are you saying you missed me?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Onna, what is this compulsion you feel to constantly interrupt? I'm almost finished."

"Please go on, then. It's really quite fascinating."

Hiei gave her a considering look, then said, "So, the youkai decided to go see the girl to find out if she would be willing to spend some time with him."

Kagome waited for a bit, then when it became obvious he wasn't going to say anything else, she started laughing. "You yelled at me for interrupting you before you said one last sentence?"

"You interrupted before I got to the pertinent part. And the point to the story is that apparently even the greatest and most intelligent of youkai can develop terrible weaknesses."

She realized he was waiting for an answer and her laughter died away as she reached over to him again, placing her hand on his this time. "You left out a part," she said softly. "After the youkai brought the girl back to the Ningenkai and left her, she realized that she had grown used to the sound of _his_ voice and his snarky comments about the things she said. No matter what reason he had been sent, he was there when she needed someone. He boosted her spirits and made her feel like she wasn't alone.

And when his mission was over, instead of leaving right away, he stayed that one night when she needed him most. In the months that followed, the girl also realized that she had come to know more about him and felt closer to him than she had to anyone in a very long time. And she missed him." Moving to stand, she tugged his hand to pull him to his feet, too. "I'm happy to see you again, Hiei," she said, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "And your love story has a wonderful beginning."

"It's not a love story," he told her firmly.

"I think you may be underestimating me again."

He shook his head. "Not at all. It's just that your love stories all have tragic endings."

"Ah," she smiled. "But the best love stories don't end."

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A/N: Well, I labored over this for a good few weeks, taking time out to write a silly drabble for another prompt, (which I just posted in my Kisses collection), and that songfic (The Crystal Forest) for that contest on DA. Now I've cleared my plate for a solid month of tackling a story for NaNoWriMo. "Black Widow Miko" is not forgotten, though, and I hope the next chapter will be worth the long wait. Look for the fur to fly around Christmas. ^_~

If you're needing more Hiei/Kagome, you should check out The Deadliest Sin community! You can PM me for a link. We are running our first contest right now, (Nov. 3rd - 7th), and we have 9 entries that members can access there during the voting. So, it's a good opportunity to find a chunk of new reading material. ^_^


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